Stolen Hearts
by the Anastasia Collection
Summary: [ANASTASIA] By Ashley. This for all who understand love. Takes place at random parts thru-out the movie. ©98. Plz read&review, thx!


**"Stolen Hearts" **   
by Ashley 

Summary: [ANASTASIA] This for all who understand love. Takes place at random parts thru-out the movie. ©98. Plz read&review, thx!   
~*~ 

"You know, I sure pity anyone who tries to rob _you_!" 

"Why is that Dimitri?" asked Anya, as she pressed a makeshift ice pack on Dimitri's foot. A highwayman had tried to rob Dimitri of his watch the night before. Anya, Dimitri, Vlad and Pooka were almost to the bus stop in Germany. Dimitri had tried to stop the thief, but had gotten thrown to the ground, hurting his left foot. 

"Because they would get twice the headache you gave the guy who tried to rob me! Ow!" He shoved the ice pack away from his foot. "How'd you learn to tackle like that?" 

Anya laughed and took it off. "I learned to play American football. I also stopped two thieves from robbing the orphanage when I was 12." 

Dimitri was impressed. A _girl_ playing American football? Dimitri didn't think girls could do that; he thought they might not be tough enough. He was wrong, in Anya's case at least. Dimitri was grateful that Anya knew how to fix cuts and bruises. She's very caring, he thought. Would she do this for everyone-- or just him? 

Anya was also in thought. She seen the impressed look on Dimitri's face and smiled inwardly. She had actually _wanted_ to impress him. She would never admit it, but she thought he was rather awkardly dashing, the way he tried to defend her before she had tackled the robber. Would he do that for any girl-- or just her? 

"Come Anya, Dimitri, " said Vlad, picking up Pooka and a suitcase, "We must hurry or we'll never get to the bus stop." 

Anya got up. She picked up the two remaining suitcases. Dimitri protested, but winced as he got up. Anya raised an eyebrow that said, "I could and I _can_ do it, even if you weren't in pain." Inside, Anya hated to see him in pain, even a small amount. Wait, why did she think that? Did she _like_ him or something? 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 

"Here, I bought you a dress!" 

"You bought me a... tent." Anya peeked under the extremely large skirt of the blue dress that was _way_ too big for her. 

Dimitri looked through the neck. "What are you looking for?" 

Anya replied laughingly, "The Russian Circus, I think it's still in here!" 

Dimitri tossed her the dress and said, "Just put it on." He turned, shook his head and ran up the stairs to the deck of the Tasha. The three travelers (and Pooka) had taken the bus to a German port and were now on their last leg of the trip to Paris. 

Anya glanced after him. When he was gone, she looked down at the large blue dress. It would need a lot of work, but she could manage. She twirled the dress about her as she went into the cabin. 

After she was done fixing it, Anya looked in the mirror. She saw an almost-princess staring back. Would Dimitri like it? Would he be impressed? Anya caught herself. Why was she wondering that? Would what Dimitri thought matter? Yes, it would. Did she like Dimitri? Yes to that question, too. Anya thought, Could he have somehow, stolen my heart? 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 

What was taking her so long? Dimitri was anxious to see Anya in her new dress. He moved his queen on the chessboard of the game he and Vlad played. Why was he impatient to see Anya? He had never felt this way about someone before and it scared him. Could he somehow have feelings for Anya? Could she had somehow stolen his heart? 

Dimitri heard someone clear their throat behind him. Vlad had already gotten up and was complimenting Anya. Dimitri got up and was overcome with surprise. Was this Anya, the skinny little orphan he and Vlad had found in the Catherine Palace only a few weeks ago? She looked gorgeous in the blue dress. She was no longer a girl, but a woman. 

Anya saw Dimitri look at her. He was impressed! Did he think she looked nice? Anya found out that he did after Vlad had them waltz. Anya thought he had never looked more handsome before than he did then. Perhaps he _had_ stolen her heart. They waltzed for what seemed forever in the sunset. 

Dimitri thought Anya was beautiful, more than any other girl-- woman-- he had ever known. dancing with her was like magic. She danced quite well for an orphan. The setting sun made her red hair look like fire. 

Suddenly, Anya spoke. "I'm feeling a little... dizzy." 

"Kind of lightheaded?" 

"Yeah..." 

"Me, too. Maybe from spinning... maybe we should stop," replied Dimitri, not realizing they had. Anya reminded him. They almost kissed, when Pooka barked, spoiling the moment. Dimitri reeled back to reality. He patted Anya's hand and said, "You're doing fine." Then he ran off toward the cabin. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 

Hours later, Dimitri led a shaking Anya back to the cabin. Anya had nearly jumped ship in a nightmare and would have if Dimitri hadn't jumped down from the crow's nest to get her. He helped her back into her bed. "Thank you," she said. 

"No problem," Dimitri replied. He appeared to be in control, but he was shaking on the inside as much as Anya was on the outside. After she had jerked awake, Anya had babbled something about "The Romanov Curse." How had she known about the curse? Dimitri was puzzled. How could she know, unless... no! she couldn't be... Could she? Could she be the _real_ Anastasia? No, he reasoned, the Grand Duchess was gone, along with her family. Dimitri watched Anya fall into a sound sleep. She looked so beautiful- even in his soaked pajamas and wet hair. He remembered how she clung to him and sobbed. He enjoyed comforting her and holding her close. He now knew she had stolen his heart. He knew she had- becuz he didn't want her to be in pain of heart. He loved her. 

Anya wasn't asleep yet. She knew Dimitri was still sitting on the bed because she could feel him nearly sitting on her feet. And altho he was close & she was safe now, she still felt scared. What if Dimitri hadn't saved her from jumping? She might have joined her "maybe" family. It had been hard to let go, let someone else be the strong one. She had always had control of her own life. Now she had given the control to someone else: Dimitri. She could still feel the warmth of his embrace from when he held her safe in his arms. Anya now knew for sure he had stolen her heart, and she... well... loved him. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 

Dimitri walked out into the garden behind Sophie's house. He had just realized Anya was the Grand Duchess Anastasia. She had told Sophie of the boy who worked in the palace and opened a wall. That boy had been him. It all made sense. That was why she looked so much like Anastasia, and knew many things he and Vlad hadn't even taught her. Anya _was_ Anastasia. 

Dimitri felt miserable. Anya was royalty- and princesses didn't marry kitchen boys, even if a kitchen boy loved her and she him. Now they would probably see the Dowager Empress, her grandmother. Dimitri would lose her forever. 

Just then Vlad came out of the house and announced they were going to see the Dowager tonight and get the ten million rubles. Vlad said that Anya was very convincing. 

"That's becuz she _is_ the princess," said Dimitri. Vlad didn't seem to hear him. 

Dimitri saw Anya running up the hall to the garden. 

"Sophie's going to take us shopping for the ballet!" she exclaimed, "Shopping in _Paris_! Can you believe it?!" 

Dimitri knew she would eventually find out about the reward, but most likely not until he and Vlad had the money and were long gone. He hoped she wouldn't be hurt. But why would she be, it's not like she suddenly loved him as much as he cared for her... 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 

Dimitri was wrong. She had overheard him and the Dowager Empress talking in her box during the intermission of the ballet. She knew he had lied. She had quite nearly taken his head off. He had tried to explain, but she slapped him and ran off. 

The young con-man's heart ached because he had lied to the one who had stolen his heart. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 

Anya was leaving. Leaving Paris and Dimitri. She was now back at Sophie's house packing her belongings. He had lied to her about her being Anastasia. He had lied for money. How could she not have seen through him? She had practically given him her heart and he had thrown it in the gutter. He probably didn't really love her; it was just an act, another lie to get money. 

Anya found her shopping dress and the rose Sophie had given her. Anya looked at it and threw it in the trash bucket. Another reminder of her love for Dimitri. He had stolen her heart and broken it. 

Just then, Anya heard a knock on the door. "Go away, Dimitri," she said. The door opened and it certainly wasn't Dimitri. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 

Two days later, Dimitri was in line for a ticket back to Russia. Anya-- no, _Anastasia_ was with her grandmother, and he was... He was nowhere. He had had an audience with the Dowager Empress earlier and he had refused to take the reward money. He just couldn't take it. He loved Anya-- _Anastasia_, he reminded himself, and was glad to have brought her to her home, because that had made her happy. Altho, she hadn't looked happy when he passed her after he had seen the Dowager. He had spoken to her briefly on the stairs in the Empress's palace. Anya looked absolutely radiant in her coronation gown, complete with jewels and crown. But her eyes didn't have their beautiful sparkle of happiness, that he'd seen many times before since their journey started together. They now looked sad and lifeless. 

The ticket line was moving, and Dimitri was urged forward. With a sigh, he reached into his pocket for ticket money, and instead he found the rose that Sophie had bought Anya on the shopping trip for the ballet, which she had given to him. He looked at it lovingly. How it reminded him of his love for Anya! Then he realized, he just _had_ to go back and tell her that he loved her; that she had stolen his heart. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 

Three hours later, Anya and Dimitri danced aboard a ship on the Seine. 

They had defeated a part of Anya's past and now knew they loved each other. They were happy. 

"Dimitri?" 

"What, my love?" 

"You know, ever since we danced on the Tasha, I knew you had stolen my heart," Anya said. They held each other close. 

"And you mine," replied Dimitri. They were now at the beginning of the road of their new life and would always be together, no matter where it took them. 

_(continues as in the movie)_ __

... 

ANASTASiA™ is copyright of 20thC.Fox, etc. ^_^ 

PS. Believe it or not, this is a work of fiction. All the incidents, names, and characters are imaginary.   
Any resemblence to actual persons etc, living or dead, is completely coincidental. ^_~ 

written by Ashley ©98, edited by SimbiAni™ ©2G4 


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